Wild Food Guide — 'X'

Welcome to the Celtnet guide to wild foods. As this recipe site has grown it has become obvious that to allow people to replicate some of the more ancient recipes on this site (especially from the Ancient, Roman and Medieval periods it is necessary to list modern alternatives but also to produce a guide so that the curious can find the original (often wild) ingredients for themselves. These pages are an attempt at bringing all these potentially useful and often forgotten wild foods together into one place. To use this guide simply click on the first letter of your term above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the terms. You may well find something that surprises you!

This page covers wild foods beginning with the letter 'X' and includes both common and scientific names.

This is the description page for Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Chicken of the Woods.

Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus (also known as the Sulphur Polypore, Sulphur Shelf, Chicken Mushroom, Chicken Fungus) is a very distinctive species of polyporaceous basidomycete bracket fungus (filamentous fungi composed of hyphae that reproduce sexually) and is a member of the Polyporaceae family of the Polyporales order that have white spore prints. It is a fairly common species that is typically parasitic on oak trees, but also grows on yew, cherry wood, sweet chestnut, eucalypts and willow (some related species grow on conifers). Typically it friuts initially in April and is most common in June, but there is also a second fruitig period in September and October. Indeed, the only months were it is unlikely that you will find examples of this species somewhere is January and February. This is medium-sized fungus (it can grow between 5 and 20cm in diameter) that typically grows gregariously in 'shelves' of tightly-packed brackets. The fungus is composed of overlapping, fused, clusters of lobed, fan-shaped, brackets that are initially soft and succulent and with in-curved folded margins and a bright orange suede-like top margin that tends to be slightly convex. As the fungus ages the colour becomes more sulphurous an then pale yellow until it finally dries a chalky white. The pores are tiny and oblong starting yellow and turning white with age. Young pores exude yellow droplets when fresh. The tubes only occupy the lower 5mm of the fruiting body. When the flesh is cut it is thick, pale yellow and soft (but still firm) when young. The smell is pleasantly mushroomy and the taste is pleasant (sometimes described as chickeny) though some specimens can be a little sour due to the absorption of tannins from the host tree.

The firm flesh and pleasant flavour makes this an excellent eating fungus. Indeed, it is especially suited to stews and goulashes as it keeps firm even after prolongued cooking. Unusually for a fungus the chicken of the woods can even be frozen for long periods and remains firm. Most North American books describe this as an excellent eating species. However, I should sound a note of caution here. A minority of people are allergic to this fungus and it can cause symptoms ranging from the mild — swollen lips and tingling tongue — to the more severe — nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation. This is due to allergens that some are susceptible to but can also be due to fungus absorbing poisons from the tree on which it grows. As a result it should not be consumed if growing on elm, cedar or eucalypts. Indeed, books now recommend that only young, fresh, bracts are eaten and, as with any new fungus or mushroom species only eat small quantities the first time, in case you are susceptible. However, if you are careful and you know that you are not susceptible then the flavour can be very pleasant, somewhat reminiscent of chicken and this fungus can be substituted for chicken in vegetarian recipes.

The colour, shape and location of this species means that the chicken of the woods is not similar to any other fungus and cannot readily be confused with anything else. The fungus is also notable in that it is perennial and often grows in the same situation for many years at a time.

Mushroom Goulash
Bracket Fungus with Red Chilli
Coq au Vin with Chicken of the Woods
Vegetarian Chicken Salad
Chicken of the Woods with Wild Rice